Humberside Tyre Pyrolysis FS
Lead Participant:
2G BIOPOWER LTD
Abstract
The UK generates about 450,000 tonnes of used tyres each year. Some can be re-used and re-treaded, but 400,000 tonnes have to be disposed of. These are not allowed to go to landfill. Some are reprocessed in the UK into rubber crumb for use in (for example) play surfaces and artificial turf. A proportion is also turned into shred for use in cement kilns. Due to the low cost of international shipping and historically low barriers an increasing amount has been exported to India reaching 263,000 tonnes in 2018, largely for low-technology pyrolysis to produce crude and polluting fuel oil.
Both the UK and Indian Governments are seeking to eliminate exports which have adverse health and environmental impacts. Furthermore the UK has to pay to export its waste.
More sophisticated pyrolysis processes have been developed than used in (for example) India. These produce a better quality oil and some recover the Carbon Black in tyres. However, almost non can produce both Tyre Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) of a quality that can be directly refined into transport fuels, and recover Carbon Black (rCB) that can be re-used in tyres.
Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) has developed an environmentally sound process that, almost uniquely, produces both high quality TPO and rCB. 2G BioPOWER has been working with Enviro for several years.
TPO is partially renewable due to the natural rubber in tyres. 2G BioPOWER is now working with the UK fuel sector to use TPO from Enviro's technology to produce renewable transport fuel called 'Development Fuel'. This new category of waste-derived fuel will increasingly be used in the UK and presents a unique opportunity for the Enviro technology. Furthermore Enviro has now established a partnership with Michelin opening up the use of rCB from a UK project in tyre manufacture.
The purpose of the project is to define how to deploy Enviro's technology at large scale in the UK. Such deployment will both reduce (and potentially eliminate) UK tyre exports, improve the UK's balance of payments, provide employment in the UK and also reduce UK GHG emissions, particularly in transport.
Both the UK and Indian Governments are seeking to eliminate exports which have adverse health and environmental impacts. Furthermore the UK has to pay to export its waste.
More sophisticated pyrolysis processes have been developed than used in (for example) India. These produce a better quality oil and some recover the Carbon Black in tyres. However, almost non can produce both Tyre Pyrolysis Oil (TPO) of a quality that can be directly refined into transport fuels, and recover Carbon Black (rCB) that can be re-used in tyres.
Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) has developed an environmentally sound process that, almost uniquely, produces both high quality TPO and rCB. 2G BioPOWER has been working with Enviro for several years.
TPO is partially renewable due to the natural rubber in tyres. 2G BioPOWER is now working with the UK fuel sector to use TPO from Enviro's technology to produce renewable transport fuel called 'Development Fuel'. This new category of waste-derived fuel will increasingly be used in the UK and presents a unique opportunity for the Enviro technology. Furthermore Enviro has now established a partnership with Michelin opening up the use of rCB from a UK project in tyre manufacture.
The purpose of the project is to define how to deploy Enviro's technology at large scale in the UK. Such deployment will both reduce (and potentially eliminate) UK tyre exports, improve the UK's balance of payments, provide employment in the UK and also reduce UK GHG emissions, particularly in transport.
Lead Participant | Project Cost | Grant Offer |
|---|---|---|
Participant |
||
| 2G BIOPOWER LTD |
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mike Tooke (Project Manager) |